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Penn State atop college ice hockey just five years after program's birth

Five years ago, Guy Gadowsky endured many sleepless nights. It was an emotional time for the new Penn State men's hockey coach, as he was preparing for the Nittany Lions' first game as a Division I program. Gadowsky still believes that game was the hardest he's had to coach. He thought his Lions had to defeat American International.

Five years ago, Guy Gadowsky endured many sleepless nights.

It was an emotional time for the new Penn State men's hockey coach, as he was preparing for the Nittany Lions' first game as a Division I program. Gadowsky still believes that game was the hardest he's had to coach. He thought his Lions had to defeat American International.

Times sure have changed for the coach and his program.

Penn State - just five years after the birth of the program and unranked when the season began - is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, according to the U.S. College Hockey Online and PairWise polls.

The Lions, 16-2-1 and 5-1 in Big Ten play, swept two games from Michigan State last weekend, and the former top three teams suffered losses, helping propel the Lions straight to the top.

"We truly don't follow the polls that much," Gadowsky said just minutes before the standings were released Monday. "We don't."

While the USCHO poll doesn't directly determine which teams will qualify for the NCAA tournament, it is similar to the AP poll in that it is made up of votes from college hockey writers across the country.

The PairWise ranking uses a mathematical formula that will more accurately represent the tournament committee's selection process later in the season.

Penn State's success traces back to Terry Pegula, the owner of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and NFL's Buffalo Bills, who built the most lavish arena in college hockey from the ground up. In 2010, Pegula donated $88 million to create a space for a Division I program.

Fast-forward to this weekend: The Nittany Lions will face No. 11 Ohio State in the teams' second series this year. Penn State went into the first series - Jan. 6-7 in Columbus, Ohio - coming off a five-week layoff. Ohio State won the first of those games before Penn State won the next day.

Looking back at that loss, Gadowsky said the team was working on one of its biggest weaknesses - playing aggressively without taking penalties.

"We really struggle with that," the coach said. "I think that's so important in hockey. It's something we have to continue to work and work and work at."

The penalties have been adding up since the Lions came back from their long break. In the second half of last season, the team also accumulated a large number of penalties, which Gadowsky said was "terrible."

He doesn't necessarily look at penalty minutes as much as he looks at power-play opportunities against. Gadowsky's top priority, he said, is to figure out how to play a tough game while staying out of the penalty box.

"That is going to bite us if we don't figure it out," he said.

It could "bite" them not only this weekend but also next weekend, when the team makes its annual trip to the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 28 to face Princeton in the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff.

Even though Gadowsky is treated like a celebrity in the Pegula arena, the coach of the No. 1-ranked team doesn't get around town much. Besides filling his car with gas or going grocery shopping, Gadowsky said, he doesn't interact much with people in the community. But when he does, the support is clear.

This weekend will be no different.

The Lions know they can rely on goaltender Peyton Jones. The true freshman came into the season splitting time with sophomore Chris Funkey. But Jones emerged as the No. 1 goalie shortly after the season's start, and his 2.04 goals-against average ranks 10th in the nation.

Jones is more mature than Gadowsky ever imagined he would be this early in his collegiate career, he said at his weekly new conference. Even though Jones doesn't show much emotion, his relaxed nature has a calming effect on his teammates.

In front of Jones, the young team, with 12 freshmen, is highlighted by forward Denis Smirnov, who ranks 12th in the nation in scoring (29 points). Earlier in the season, Gadowsky said he couldn't get through a day without receiving phone calls from NHL teams showing interest in the Russia native.

Andrew Sturtz (17 points) and Dylan Richard (15 points) join Smirnov on the explosive top line.

Funkey, the backup goalie, posted a tweet quoting the rankings with a message summing up the year. His teammates can probably relate, too.

"This is some life we're living."